Interpretor
An Interpretor is a translation device that is used by one person to 'interpret' the language spoken by another person. They are considered common items that can be used by one person to communicate with another without having to spend a lot of money having to actually study the language. They are not considered 'translators' due to the infamous trope of the latter being instantaneous devices, though they have earned the moniker simply due to convenience. Description Interpretors have been around for hundreds of years, when looking at Humanity generally, first becoming noticably present in the 21st Century on Earth. Other devices of similar function have been in use by a large number of races for times before this even. It has been believed that the Covenant have been in possession of similar translation devices for at least a thousand years before this, and the Forerunners themselves have had devices that allowed them to communicate with other cultures at near instant paces, fitting the 'Universal Translator' image far better than later Human counterparts. Interpretors gradually saw more use in the centuries that passed thanks to increasing globalization on Earth, and recently colonized Mars. Cultures all over the solar system agreed that common tongues, like English for example, needed to remain similar as possible to the contemporary versions as changes would make communication difficult. That being said, even though some languages were kept the same as trade tongues, there were still many languages among Humanity that needed translating if an individual was not willing to learn another tongue, or happened to find themselves in a strange land where they needed to communicate. Advanced Interpretors started making their presence in the 24th Century and have started to follow the basic principles that are seen in the present. Interpretors function from a point to point communication. There needs to be at least a form of a person speaking or a form of writing for the device to work. At which point, any form of input is fed through the device and is displayed or relayed to the listener in their native tongue. The device needs to take the speech of the speaker and then compare it to the dictionaries that it has on file, highlighting every word of the sentence and finding matches based on dialect, contextual usage, and gender application. If all has gone well, the sentence that the user hears is the most similar that can be matched to their native tongue. Interpretors come in many forms. Some of them are designed to be worn as hearing-aid like devices that hook around a listener's ear to the point where it looks like a phone. Some phones do indeed come with Interpretor software packaged into it from purchase. Other forms are designed to look like glasses, which have the advantage of translating text quicker and clearer than the ear-mounted version. Some were still used as phone applications and datapad programs which were quick and convenient to use for on the move translating. Some translators get more elaborate as ear-rings, which are popular with diplomats. People who find themselves constantly communicating with many people over many different languages may even opt to have Interpretor devices implanted into their ears that constantly allow them to hear, though this has the added 'benefit' or being able to hear everything at once, which makes crowds difficult to handle as the user is bombarded with five or more languages at once. Interpretors have a large amount of memory that can be filled up with plenty of languages and dialects, though the cost of amassing a large amount of tongues can be astronomical should it get that far. Some of the dictionaries that were used by Interpretors are: *Webster's English Dictionary (descriptive) *A Terran Dictionary of the English Language (prescriptive) *Dictionnaire de l'Acadamie Francaise (prescriptive) *Collins-Robert French Dictionary (descriptive) *The Koijon (descriptive/prescriptive) *Xinhua Zidian (prescriptive) *Deutsches Worterbuch (prescriptive) *The Mobian Aspect English Dictionary (prescriptive/descriptive) *Jolono Gallvente Hy'jiim Wel (Gallvente Prescriptive Textbook) *The Sangheili-English International Dictionary (prescriptive) Critiques There have been some critiques from those who do not feel that Interpretors are a good source of use. While many agree that the use of such a device can be useful for a snap-translation, there are plenty who believe that the best way to translate a language is simply to learn one and use your own personal skills to do so. Some believe that the use of technology to do so is 'lazy' and does not promote an interest in other cultures. By using a technological surrogate like Interpretors, there are beliefs that it actually creates a dependance on such devices, and should one be without a device like this, they would be lost and unable to communicate, as not everyone can afford Interpretors. In the case where cultures are physically unable to communicate with Humans, Interpretor use is considered necessary by the same critics. Appearances *Deception (First Appearance, First Named) * Category:Technology